Jul 5, 2008 | Photo Gallery, Psycho Attack
When I first started shooting rockabilly and psychobilly, I was
enthralled with the new tricks I saw. I would say to people, "Hey, the
guy was standing on his bass!" and people would be like, "Oh yeah, they
all do that." Or I’d say "Hey, the bass and guitarists switched
instruments!" And of course, the response was, "They all do that."
Well, dammit, they don’t all set the bass on fire. So there you go.
I had to stifle the urge to yell "Great White!" What can I say, I’m a
sick fucker.
Three Bad Jacks at the Clubhouse. Brett has since moved on, and this
is no longer part of the show, but I’m hoping it will come back…
Jul 4, 2008 | Photo Gallery
This shot tickles me to no end. The funny thing is, in this crowd, these guys were looking at me like I was from another planet, being a conservative looking middle-aged woman. Everything is relative, as they say.
The venue was the defunct Cypress Lounge, and this was the same night as the Glass Heroes and Vibrators show.
Good shows and good times. *SIGH*
Jul 3, 2008 | Photo Gallery
It only seems natural to follow a POTD of Calabrese with Zombeast.
They almost always play together locally, and are pretty much linked up
in both sets of fans minds. Actually both groups are pretty much one
and the same.
This was Halloween 2006, and I’m happy to say this blood was fake. I
mean, jesus, we’re talking Helter Skelter here, you know? I also want
to point out that one of my favorite things about this photo is that
Ashley is in the lower right corner, and she is hands down their
number one fan. Getting a shot of her rocking out is mandatory at any
Zombeast show. This was one of those photos that I knew was winner as
soon as I saw it on my camera review screen.
And btw, the similarities you may be noticing to Danzig are not
coincidental. They make no bones about their love of and homage to the
Man.
Jul 2, 2008 | Photo Gallery
Boy, does this photo have sentimental value.
This was the first show I had shot in a small venue and the first of Calabrese. It was almost the last.
I wanted to leave the venue before the show even started. I felt
old, self-conscious — I was old enough to be the mother of about
everyone there. A fact confirmed by the owner of the venue, working the
door. He thought I was one of the mothers for The Limit Club, also
playing that night.
I can laugh about it now, but then…yikes.
But I forced myself to stay, and when The Limit Club was playing,
quickly realized in this small venue, I would have to use flash. Not so
bad during the Limit Club set, as I was able to still stand back. But
when Zombeast came out, the crowd moved in, and I had no choice but to
get right in front, with my flash a-firing right in their faces (and
drawing far more attention to me than I could handle.) So I slinked to
the back of the venue.
I saw Bobby Calabrese watching, and got up the nerve to say hello (I
had been on the band’s message board, but had never met any of them in
person.) I told him I probably wouldn’t be shooting that night, because
of the flash, and he was like, "No, go for it."
So I did. And so began this long strange trip I’ve been on.
The photo is Jim Calabrese’s classic "bad ass" look. I was afraid of
him at first, because I only saw him when he was playing, and he pretty
much always looked like this. It wasn’t till later that I discovered
how far this look is from Jim’s real personality.
But that is a story — and photo — for another day.
Jul 1, 2008 | Photo Gallery
I sorta got a thing for red. Okay, more than sorta. If it was up to me, I’d shoot everyone on red.
This was one of my first promos, done in my tiny little former
apartment, with barely enough room for this backdrop. I would have to
completely rearrange the place (translation: tear it apart) to clear
the living room for a shoot.
I like Sharon’s expression in this one, as well as most of the shots from the session. A sort of cool indifference.
The first time I saw this band was at the Stray Cat Bar and Grill,
and it was a somewhat…mellower set. And when you hear their recorded
work, it’s a totally different feel than what I learned was their
typical live set — I got to see that at their CD release party. That
girl has some pipes, let me tell you. A much rawer sound live than what
you expect. And much louder.
Another prime example of why you have to come out and hear bands live. It just ain’t the same on a little silver disc.
